Ocean Talk
by Reconyz
Summary: Gou feels a certain way about an olive-haired boy on the swim team, but knows he doesn't feel the same. Makoto feels a certain way about a burgundy-haired girl helping the team, but knows she doesn't feel the same. A talk by the ocean surprises them both. Twist on the ocean episode. One-shot, Makoto-Gou.


**A/N:** Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've update anything, I apologize. I recently got into Free! and really love the Makoto-Gou ship. So, here's a small idea that grew into a story. It's a bit short and lacking, but I do hope you like it. Enjoy!

**Ocean Talk**

Being the team manager, Gou was faced with a challenge to prepare them quickly for their next tournament. Seeing that drills and simple timings just weren't enough, she embarked on a far adventure; they would swim long-distance in the ocean to build up their stamina. Convincing Ama-sensei was no easy feat. Yet, it happened. And here they were, practicing in the big blue. Ama-sensei had fallen asleep tanning next to her, leaving only the manager to supervise them. Gou's ruby eyes focused intently on the boys before her.

In the blazing heat of the late afternoon sun, Mitsuoka Gou sat on the sandy beach. Adorning a simple red bikini, the young girl looked even cuter than normal, and it was obvious to everyone there. She had already been complimented several times today, but her focus was on getting er club to be stronger and for them to reach their goals. Looking out at the swim team training in the ocean, she adjusted her sun-hat and pushed her glasses up just a bit to see them better. They all seemed to be swimming just fine. Nagisa swam near Rei, who seemed to be struggling with his kick. In front of them, Haruka easily flowed with the water, like a dolphin almost. And next to the black haired boy was _him_. Makato Tachibana.

They were all her close friends. Certainly, she was more than happy to enjoy their companionship. But there was one boy that caught her eye the most. She would never admit it to herself, but Makato always seemed to charm her the best. Perhaps it was because he was the tallest and most toned of them all. Or was it his genuinely kind self? Was it the emerald orbs that always sparkled? Whatever it was, she was well aware of her feelings. _It's just a crush_, she told herself. _You'll get over it._

Gou was spacing out so intensely that she hadn't noticed the team returning on the shore. In a daze, she heard her name being called out.

"Gou-Kun? You look sleepy!" Nagisa piped, poking her cheek.

With a huff, she swiped away his finger and scoffed, "Kou! It's Kou!"

"Gou-chan," Makato interrupted the small bicker politely, "we're done with today's work out. It's probably time that we set the tents up."

Suddenly, as if she felt highly embarrassed, she quickly plastered on a calm expression and agreed. "You're right. Ama-sensei and I will stay in one tent. We'll be near you guys to make sure you're not sneaking around too much."

"Eh?" Rei lifted an eyebrow. "That makes us sound sneaky! We behave well, Gou-San!"

"I know," she smiled, "but that's how Ama-sensei wants it to be."

Haruka crossed his arms, not really caring either way, and inserted his opinion about their dinner. "Mackerel for dinner, right?"

The rest of them stared at him in disbelief. Nagisa gave another one of his carefree smiles and ran off to only he knew where, shouting, "Only if you can catch me before I go grab something else for dinner!"

In an instant, Haruka was off, too, sprinting mercilessly towards the escaping blonde boy. Rei, out of habit, raced with them, feeling it was an insult to his pride if he couldn't follow them too closely. And laughing in front of Gou was Makoto, who seemed to radiate happiness wherever he was. She felt her cheeks get hot as she planned to say something to him.

"Makoto-senpai," she started, getting his attention. "You look great." Makoto furrowed his brows in slight confusion. _Wait.. what?! Gou, you idiot, what did you jus-_ "Er, I mean, your form!" she quickly saved herself. "Your form looks really great out there!" A nervous laugh hung in the air.

Feeling complimented, Makoto placed an affectionate hand on the top of her warm, burgundy hair, and replied, "Thank you, Gou-chan. Why don't we start setting the tents up?"

_Ah, Makoto-senpai only thinks of me like a sibling_, she sighed inwardly before agreeing to work with him.

* * *

The last of the sun sank into the vast ocean blue, taking with it the last red light. A blanket of black covered the sky, though small stars were twinkling in the far off distance. A warm summer breeze swept by and greeted the Iwatobi Swim Team. The six of them sat around the burning fire, eating away at their dinner. Mackerel was the choice for tonight, much to Haruka's delight. He sat next to Makoto, as they were best friends, while Nagisa and Rei continuously pestered one another with nonsense talk. Ama-sensei was talking to Gou in a small voice about something she would greatly appreciate. They were grateful the boys were eating their dinner, for they had things they needed to discuss. Or at least Gou did.

Turning towards her in a casual manner, Gou began to speak to her club advisor. "Ama-sensei, do you have a husband?"

"Eh? Me?" she asked, her voice filled with surprise. The kind teacher laughed it off before answering. "No, I'm still single!" True, there was no ring on her left-ring finger. "Why do you ask such a question?" Her voice was filled with suspicion and curiosity.

"Er, I was hoping… you'd help me with…" The young girl blushed furiously just thinking about the topic! Talking to an adult didn't seem to be the answer to her problems, yet, she continued, "There's a boy I like… er…And I was hoping that you would be able to give me some advice. I'm really bad at this kind of thing..."

"Ah!" Ama-sensei smiled kindly and tightly held Gou's hands. "Tell me about it! Is that why you asked if I am married? I'd love to help you on these sort of things! Oh, it's been so long since high-school and the crushes…" she trailed off, leaving Gou feeling a bit embarrassed.

Nagisa and Rei were so busy chit-chatting about the better kind of exercises the team should do that they couldn't have been paying any attention to the girls near them. Haruka and Makoto were still discussing further plans when they got back home and didn't seem to hear them, either. Taking Gou's precautions were extremely necessary. What would she ever do if one of them heard what she would talk about? Especially since the certain olive-haired boy sat only a few meters away from her…

"He's one of the boys on the team," Gou whispered in a very small voice. Over the laughter surrounding her and her teacher, it was a bit difficult to hear.

"Oh?" Ama-sensei grinned politely. "Can you tell me who it is?"

Gou shook her head; not out of spite, but out of being cautious that one of them might hear. "Should I just describe him to you?"

Ama-sensei nodded her head enthusiastically and leaned closer so that she didn't have to speak too loudly. "And tell me what you like about him, too."

"Well…" _Where do I begin?_ "He's very kind. There's never been a time when I don't see a smile on his face. Well, except for when he's being serious, but that's seldom. And when he's swimming. He's much taller than me, too."

Ama-sensei began to form the boy in her mind. She had an idea of who it was, but she needed to hear a bit more to confirm her thoughts.

"He's not in my grade," she confessed, and that eliminated both Nagisa and Rei. "But he doesn't treat me any differently. He's nothing but polite and very sweet to me. We work closely together and it's really important that we do. Otherwise, the club might have some problems. I worry that he only sees me as a little sister, since I see him as a very good friend of mine. He was the first to include me in the group, y'know…" She sighed quietly, quite finished.

Ama-sensei held a bright smile. She knew full well who Gou was talking about. Leaning down to whisper into her ear who she thought it was, she said, "Why don't you tell him all of that?"

"I don't have the courage to do that, sensei…" Gou frowned, feeling a bit disappointed in herself.

"Well, maybe you'll have enough to tell him sometime soon. The worst thing he could do is not like you back, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Thank you, sensei."

Haruka had quieted down and eagerly listened to the rest of the conversation, starting from her confession about the crush's grade. Makoto was busy munching on the rest of his dinner that he hadn't really been concentrating. Yet, it seemed that his best friend had ears that could hear even the smallest breaks of water from the ocean shore. Turning towards the emerald-eyed boy, he wanted to make sure he was right, too.

"Mako," he started, his low voice hardly audible. Nagisa and Rei were arguing about something else this time.

"Hmm?" His friend turned towards him. "What's up?"

"How do you feel towards Gou-kun?" Haruka asked bluntly, his deep blue eyes unwavering and still.

Suddenly, a rush of heat fell onto Makoto's cheeks. He turned his friend away from Gou's general direction and faced their backs towards her, so that she couldn't hear any of the conversation. "Why are you asking me that question?"

"Just answer it."

Chuckling nervously, he scratched the back of his neck. "She's a good friend of all of us. I'm sure that she thinks so, too. And she's very cute." He inhaled deeply, preparing himself for what he was going to say next. "I like her that way. But I don't really know how she feels towards me. I think it's just a sibling kind of thing, y'know? I mean, she's so little…"

Haruka's eyes narrowed considerably. He didn't say anything for a while and merely looked at him as if he were staring into his soul.

"W-what…?" Makoto croaked quietly.

"Nothing," he answered, turning back towards the fire. He stood, saying, "I'm going to eat more mackerel."

Makoto relaxed and joined him. As he walked by, he caught Gou's eye. The two exchanged polite smiles and said nothing to one another. _Ah, Gou-chan only thinks of me like a sibling_, he frowned to himself.

* * *

The tents were set up right on the shore. Each one could hear the sound of the water kissing the sand and retreating back into the ocean. While everyone was sleeping, a certain burgundy-haired girl laid awake, tossing and turning to try to desperately get herself to sleep. Yet, nothing worked. She had been laying still for at least an hour but slumber had not come. Giving up, she slowly rose from her sleeping bag, careful not to wake her teacher next to her. Gou exited the sturdy tent and made her way closer to the water. Lifting her head to see the scene before her, she saw the beautiful lights in the sky sparkle and illuminate the black blanket. The sound of the water washing over her feet sounded beautiful and felt calming. Truly, the ocean was so much more tranquil than she ever imagined it could be. She smiled to herself and breathed in the salty scent that hung about. It felt so right, being alone and facing the sea, nothing to disturb her.

"Couldn't sleep, either?" A voice called out from behind her.

Whirring around to see who it was, Gou was surprised to see a tall boy with emerald green eyes. He wore a white, opened shirt and a pair of shorts. In whatever he had on, he always seemed to look stunning. Flushing immediately, she muttered, "M-Makoto-senpai, I…"

He observed her outfit, composed of only a pair of short shorts and a red tank-top. For once, her hair was out of its usual ponytail. It wasn't difficult for him to see that she was truly very cute, though he had to snap himself out of such thoughts. _It's not good for me to think like that_, he scolded himself. "I had a hard time sleeping, too. I think I ate too much or something."

"Eh? I thought eating is supposed to help you fall asleep," she calmly replied, facing the water. He stood next to her and chuckled quietly.

"It always seemed to have the opposite effect on me. If I eat too much, it's not very good, you see."

Gou smiled and nodded. "I understand."

"The water is really beautiful, isn't it?" He asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. She turned her eyes to see his expression, but his eyes held its gaze at the dancing fluids. "It's too bad that it's the ocean, otherwise, I'd go for a swim right now."

Confused by his statement, Gou tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean? You were swimming just fine out there earlier when the team was practicing, captain."

"Ah, it's not that," he looked at her, shaking his head. "It's the water itself that I'm not very comfortable with. I don't really like the ocean that much."

"Oh…" she murmured quietly.

He told her of the traumatizing story of his childhood. Gou listened carefully to each and every word that left his mouth, though it seemed to her that she was just pleased to watch and listen to him speak. Makoto was opening up one of his secrets to her, making her feel more important and even touched in a certain way. As they conversed, they sat down on the sand and let the water rush over their feet gently. Gou smiled when he was finished with his story.

"We all have things that we're afraid of," she reassured. "I know there are some things that I'm afraid of."

"What's something that you're afraid of?" he asked. Seeing her eyes widen in response, he gave a wan smile and added, "Maybe that was a bit too personal. Sorry."

"No," she rejected, scooting closer to him so he might hear better. "I can tell you something that I'm afraid of." Gou's memory reeled, trying to search for something that she could tell him about. Finding a certain one, she laughed to herself before starting. "When I was younger, my mom took my older brother and I out to a zoo once. It was really cool. I remember liking the tigers the best, probably because I like cats a lot. But then," she giggled softly to herself, and Mako couldn't help but smile too. "There was a bear place, too. Onii-chan really liked it, so we went to go see the bears up close and personal. When I saw one of them, though, it stood on its hind legs and gave a growl!" Gou stood on her knees and imitated the movement. " So ever since then…" she quieted down, "I've always been afraid of bears."

"I wouldn't have guessed that about you," Makoto replied earnestly, enjoying her story. "But it's good to know those sort of things. Thank you for opening up to me, Gou-chan." His silken voice sounded the best when it said her name, she thought to herself.

Sheepishly, she answered, "No, thank you for listening to me, Makoto-sen-"

And from the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a dark creature move in the blackened bushes of a nearby underbrush.

"-pai!"

Before she knew it, her tiny frame clung tightly against his broad body, her arms coiled around his neck. Her body quaked in fear from seeing the figure, visibly trembling. Makoto reflexively caught her and laid still on his back, peeking up to see her laying on top of him. The two were surprised when they noticed their position and blushed furiously. Quickly, they got out of the unfortunate predicament and stood, turned away from each other, brushing down their clothing from the sand. She had never been that close to the boy before. In her chest, her heart was racing so fast, she felt it would burst at any moment. _Makoto-senpai,_ she thought to herself_, I'm so sorry that I had to fall on top of you…_

"Ah, I'm sorry about that, senpai," she apologized, bowing her head as she turned towards her. She was surprised to see his calm visage.

"Gou-chan," he started, his emerald orbs focusing intently, "what do you feel about me?"

The girl could hardly believe it. "W-what?"

"Tell me, right now." His voice sounded stern, a tone that he hardly ever used on anyone except for his little siblings. "I want to know how you feel about me." The young man took a step closer to her, closing the distance between the both of them considerably.

"But why?" She replied, panicking inside.

"I couldn't sleep because I was talking to Haru about you. Earlier he asked me what I felt about you. I didn't really understand why he asked me such a question, but after I thoguht about it for a while, I feel kind of confused. I want to know what you think about me. To be honest, Gou-chan," he sighed, taking his eyes off of her, "it's been bugging me. I mean, I sound really stupid and stuff right now, but I've been wondering what you feel throughout tonight."

"Makoto...senpai…" she frowned. Gathering up all the courage she could ever have, Gou started. "I-I really like you. I enjoy being your friend and hanging out with you. I have fun every day I see you and I love recording your times, or talking to you about what we should do for the next practice. It's kind of silly, don't you think?" She closed her eyes. "I've only known you for a little while, but I've already developed strong feelings for you. I don't see you as an older brother, Makoto-senpai, I see you as a boy that I want to be more than just friends. I want our relationship to be more than just a captain and his manager. I.. I just…" she stammered, "I really like you."

Makoto could hardly believe the roll of words that escaped her lips. Astounded by the boldness of such a confession, he stayed silent for a little while, unsure of exactly what to say to her. Gou felt that her heart was slowing down, surprised that he couldn't even give her a smile in reply. She took a step back, feeling dejected now. _You're so stupid_, she shouted at herself inwardly, _you shouldn't have told him what you feel! Now he thinks you're stupid and you really blew it this ti-_

"Gou," Makoto whispered, bringing a hand to cup her face. The touch sent a chill down her spine. "Close your eyes."

"H-huh?"

"Close your eyes," he repeated, this time his voice sounded so much more alluring.

More out of fear than anything else, the ruby-eyed girl shut her eyes and waited for what was to come. A second or two died away before the olive-haired boy leaned down and captured her lips in his, sending a sensation throughout his entire body. It felt so surreal for the both of them. He lingered and deepened the kiss, taking both of her hands into his and giving it a tight squeeze. Gou held onto him firmly and stood a bit taller. Quickly, what was first a small brush of the lips turned into something more tender. Gripping her small waist, Makoto moved her closer so he could kiss her more. He liked the feeling of his lips moving against hers. She wrapped her hands against his large torso, feeling blessed to be held so closely. And when he gently nibbled at her lower lip, a sound escaped her lips that he was pleased to hear. Suddenly escaping the passionate grip, Gou pulled herself away, staring deeply into a gorgeous emerald green. _He smells minty,_ she giggled._  
_

"Thank you, Gou-chan," Makoto thanked her. "I hope you know how I feel, too." He looked down at her, taking in her appearance. Gou's silky, burgundy hair was messy, her cheeks reddened, and her lips were swollen and parted from his impulsive assault. Was it possible that she could get any more beautiful?

"Makoto," she whispered quietly, eyes averting his.

"Hmm?"

Looking back up at him, with a small, chaste grin, she asked, "Can we do that again?"

.

.

.

**A/N: **Well, what did you think about that? Leave a review telling me what you thought! See you soon!

`LA 3


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